Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President visits Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh
Lauds it as one of the best ethnographic museums in the country
Museums, government buildings and large institutions could open handicrafts shops in premises to support Indian artisans: Vice President
School children should be taken on guided tours of museums to make them aware of India’s past: Shri Naidu
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today called upon government organisations and private sector institutions to support the artisans of the country in marketing and selling their products in India and abroad.
Noting that the biggest challenge to our talented artisans is the non-availability of marketing opportunities, Shri Naidu suggested that museums, government buildings and large institutions should consider opening shops in their premises, thus providing opportunities to artisans to sell their products.
The Vice President also suggested voluntary organisations to join hands with artisans to market their produce online. “Specialised short- term courses may also be started to train the tribal youth in the technical know-how for online marketing”, he added.
The Vice President, who is on a tour of the North East, arrived in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh today. During the day, he visited the Jawaharlal Nehru State Museum in Itanagar and was shown around the various sections and galleries in the museum.
Later in a Facebook post, he recounted his experiences of the museum visit as ‘enriching’ and lauded the museum for being ‘undoubtedly among the best ethnographic museums in the country’.
Among the various sections, Shri Naidu had special words of praise for the “Mountaineering Gallery” set up in the Museum with an aim to develop the younger generation’s interest in adventure and sports. He suggested other institutions and museums to come up with similar initiatives, collaborate with local sporting icons and encourage the youth to take up sports and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
The Vice President visited the galleries displaying collections in textiles, basketry, painting, wood carving among others belonging to different ethnic communities of the state. In another section, he went around observing the 27 dioramas representing all the major tribes of the state. Each diorama has lively figures of tribal men and women in traditional attire engaged in day to day activities.
Writing in his post, Shri Naidu observed that “Arunachal Pradesh with its rich natural and cultural heritage, can be called a reservoir of handicraft. Different tribes have generations of expertise in various craft forms such as weaving, painting, basketry, mask-making, ivory-work, black smithy, doll-making, pottery and carpentry.” He said the state’s rich cultural heritage needs to be preserved.
Shri Naidu also suggested that schools should have guided tours of local museums for school children. This way, he observed, they can be made aware of India’s rich past and it would go a long way in propagation and conservation of our great cultural heritage.
The Vice President was accompanied to the museum by the Governor of Arunachal Pradesh, Brig  B.D. Mishra , Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Shri Pema Khanduand others.